Economic Assessments Overwhelmingly Support Climate Action

Conservatives commonly argue that acting on climate change is too costly, however, this is contradicted by a slew of economic assessments. When we look at the data it becomes clear that conservatives use economic insecurity to obscure the facts and control the narrative.

There are a number of studies that show global warming undermines economic growth, but the most compelling data comes from cost benefit assessments.

Trump's America: State of Lies

Donald Trump deflects, distracts and exaggerates, but he is best known for his straight out lies. He has proven to be a master of the double-down. When he is caught lying he just lies some more. Even before he took office the New York Times wrote a piece titled, "Trump, Trapped in His Lies, Keeps Lying. Sad!". It is indeed sad, but the understandable outrage at his repeated deceptions misses the point.

Dishonest Don's malfeasance will live in infamy, however, his mendacity serves a darker end-game then most people realize. The unreality king lies to muddy the waters making it hard for casual observers to understand the issues, and that is the point.

The liar-in-chief has repeatedly deceived the American people and his own staff. The spin king lies about his business, he lies about his policy positions and now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he lies about his philandering.

Feedback Loop Between Extreme Weather and Fossil Fuels Makes the Case for Clean Energy

As clean energy continues to grow storms continue to highlight the dangers of oil and gas. Fossil fuels and storms are locked in a perilous relationship that sees each contribute to the destructive force of the other. Extreme weather events have repeatedly ravaged Texas oil infrastructure.

Storms wreak havoc with both the economy and the environment. Preliminary estimates put the economic cost of Hurricane Harvey at $190 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in US history. There are also costs in the fossil fuel sector associated with Hurricane Harvey passing right through the hub of the US petroleum and natural gas industries in southeast Texas.

Mother Nature Strikes Back: A Review of Extreme Weather in 2016

Extreme weather is a deadly corollary of climate change. A UN study found that between 1995 and 2015, 600,000 people died from natural disasters. Global warming is known to exacerbate the intensity of extreme weather events. We are already seeing clear evidence of climate change playing a role in a growing number of natural disasters. Thanks to advances in attribution science we can now see the role that climate change plays in driving a succession of increasingly severe extreme weather events.

The Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Matthew, Attribution Science and Climate Change (Video)

It is widely accepted that warmer seas contribute to hurricanes but there are also a number of other factors that contribute to extreme weather events. Here is a review of the evidence linking climate change and Hurricane Matthew.

Matthew has already wreaked havoc in Cuba and the Bahamas and it has killed almost one thousand people in Haiti. Four Americans are known to have died due to the storm. There are currently states of emergency in effect in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Although Matthew has been downgraded from a level 5 to a level 1 hurricane it still packs a punch.  It looks as though central Florida was spared the worst, but cities along the East Coast are bracing for the storm.

The Fossil Fuel Industry and Republican Climate Change Deception

Sen. Whitehouse attributes climate misinformation to the fossil fuel industry and their Republicans minions. He points to the scientific inaccuracy of the climate change hiatus as a classic case in point. Such lies are deliberately woven to prevent us from acting.

The science is clear, and comprehensive. Global warming is caused by carbon pollution. However, for decades the fossil fuel industry has bought off Republicans in the senate who proceed to use their position to undermine the facts and obstruct action on climate change.

Event - Earth Science & Climate Change (Earth Science-2015)

The 4th International Conference on Earth Science & Climate Change (Earth Science-2015) will take place on June 15-17, 2015, in Alicante, Spain. The main theme of the conference is: An Insight into the Recent Advancements in Geosciences and Climate Change Control. This OMICS Group event aims to promulgate knowledge and facilitate the sharing of new ideas amongst the professionals, industrialists and students from research areas of Earth Science and Climate Change.

We are Running out of Time to Avert a Climate Catastrophe (PwC Report)

PricewaterhousCoopers (PwC) is hardly known for hyperbole, but their latest report warns of catastrophe if we fail to reign in carbon emissions. The report says that every passing year we are getting further away from averting a climate disaster.

PwC's “Low Carbon Economy Index,” chronicles our ongoing failure to act on the climate crisis. They refer to an “unmistakable trend” of growing emissions and a warming world. The report states that we have failed to do what we must to keep temperatures below the internationally agreed upon upper threshold limit of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

The Theory of Natural Warming is Dead

Recent studies have put the final nails into the coffin of natural warming theories. While Republicans and other conservatives hold on to natural warming theories the way NRA members cling to their guns, recent science has utterly dispelled the viability of this myth.

While it is impossible to refute the observation that the earth has warmed since 1880, it is not uncommon to hear Republicans say that while global temperatures may be warming, it is not attributable to human activity.

New Authoritative Report Chronicles US Climate Change

The most comprehensive US climate report to date indicates that the changing climate is a national problem that is already adversely impacting key sectors of the economy.

On May 6th, 2014, the Obama Administration released the Third US National Climate Assessment. The 841-page report documents more frequent and intense extreme weather events, (heat, downpours, floods, droughts), wildfires, melting ice, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and water scarcity. These impacts are already happening and they are expected to get far worse if we continue with business as usual.

This three-year public and peer reviewed research was conducted by a team of over 300 climate scientists and experts along with input from over 13 federal science agencies. The data was drawn from a wide range of sources including satellites, weather balloons and buoys. The report is a key part of the President's Climate Action Plan.

Infographic - Extreme Weather (Pakistan, East Africa, Pilippines)

The Clock Keeps Ticking as People Continue to Ignore Scientific Warnings about Climate Change

Humans are the cause of climate change and they are also the chief impediment to efforts designed to address it. Despite warnings from almost every reputable scientific organization on Earth, people still manage to deny the veracity of anthropogenic climate change. Nick Cohen penned an article for the Guardian with the ominous title, "The climate change deniers have won."

In the article Cohen points to an usually alarming tone in a warning from the American Association for the Advancement of Science which stated that "human-caused climate risks abrupt, unpredictable and potentially irreversible changes."

The Collapse of Human Civilization and How to Avoid It

We are on the verge of irreversible tipping points, but there is still time to avert catastrophe. The combination of unsustainable resource exploitation and increasingly unequal wealth distribution may unravel our civilization.  This is the conclusion of a new study sponsored by Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center. Based on historical precedents this research indicates that if we continue on our current course we may very well see the collapse of global industrial civilization in the coming decades.

Citing historical data from the last 5,000 years, they show that there are numerous examples of precipitous collapse of human civilizations. A few examples cited by the researchers include:

The Current Climate Trajectory is "Catastrophic"

The earth is warming faster than anticipated and we are rapidly heading for irreversible tipping points. If we continue with business as usual, by 2100 the earth will warm by at least 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). That is twice the internationally agreed upon 2 degree C upper threshold limit. We are on a perilous course and while governments acknowledge climate science they are still not doing enough to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.

According to new research out of Australia, increased levels of carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere will reduce the number of clouds that form. Put simply the higher the level of C02 emissions the less water in the atmosphere and the less clouds. This will allow more solar radiation that will cause more warming.

The phenomenon is called atmospheric convective mixing and it will cause temperatures to rise much higher than previous climate-change models have predicted. This research predicts that global temperatures could rise 4 degrees Celsius or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100, and 14.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2200.

"Catastrophic" Ice Storm Slams the Southeast and Heads North

The US southeast from Alabama through South Carolina was hit with a very unusual ice and snow storm. Officials and forecasters in several states in the Deep South called the storm "catastrophic." The storm is being blamed for at least 15 deaths in the South and hundreds of car accidents.

The winter storm has impacted an area stretching from northern Florida all the way to Maine, but it is being felt most in the South where people are least accustomed to ice and snow. 

Already three quarters of a million people are without power and that number is expected to increase as more ice and snow fall. These power outages could leave people in the cold, dark for days. An ice storm in the Atlanta area in 2000 left more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power. After a snowstorm stranded thousands two weeks ago, the mayor of Atlanta, urged people to stay home. This left the business district virtually devoid of life. The area includes the headquarters for companies like Home Depot, UPS, Delta and Coca-Cola.

Video - The Global Temperature "Hiatus" Explained by Missing Data

Many skeptics have used the so called global warming hiatus in support of climate denial, however the data does not support the contention that warming has slowed down. This is one of a few theories that suggests that missing data explains away the hiatus.

The Global Warming "Hiatus" Debunked

After decades of rapid temperature increases, a decrement in the rate of temperature increases is providing fuel for skeptics and being touted as evidence for climate stabilization. However the fact is that this does not refute global warming. This is of course a rouse put forth by deniers. Global average temperatures will continue to increase and here are three explanations. The first involves missing data and the second and third explanations involve ocean currents.

Video - Life in the Anthropocene: A Visualization of Climate Change

Based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's fifth assessment report, this video addresses how we created climate change and what we can do about it. This video was made by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and Globaia, and funded by the United Nations.

Video - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on the Science of Climate Change

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse eloquently summarizes the science of climate change at a January 16, 2014 EPW hearing. He also talks about the economic and health impacts from climate change and refuses to ignore the facts to preserve jobs in oil and coal. Sheldon further explains how climate change deniers cherry-pick scientific evidence to fabricate a fallacious argument.

Video - A Satellite View of Weather in 2013

This is what a year's worth of weather looks like on Earth. In this video you can see Super Typhoon Haiyan, October’s freak blizzard in the Midwest, powerful windstorms in Europe in November and December, and tropical storms throughout the year.